The Adventures of Me & My Shadow #44 in AZ, CA &
NV
3/4/00
1,189 miles this trip, odometer now 5,6748 total miles this year
4,220.
From , Lake Havasu City, AZ Hi Everyone!
Before I left Lake Havasu I called my cousin in West Covina, CA
and asked about the price of gas in CA, Bessie informed me that
it was around $1.49. Bob pointed out one station in Lake Havasu
where it was $1.29, he thought I should fill up there. I decided
that I had enough gas to get to Yuma so instead of taking I-10
into CA and then going south to San Diego with the high priced
gas, I would go south in AZ and fill up in Yuma with the cheap
gas before heading to San Diego on I-8. When I got to Yuma the
best price I could find was $1.39. I was supprised when the pump
didn’t kick off at $50.00. The tanks were almost full so
with a little more than $50 worth of cheap gas I headed west.
(Remember I left one banana and some grapefruit with Norma and
ate the red grapes that I had left on the way to Yuma, just so
I would be legal when I went though the inspection station). When
I got to the inspection station, one officer was standing between
two lanes of traffic looking at license plates and through the
windshields and as I approached he pointed at me and motioned
for me to go on through. The last time I was there, he came into
the motorhome and looked around. This time I could have had a
bushel of fruit!
Remember that cheap gas I filled up with in Yuma, well after I
got over the mountains and was coming down into San Diego I saw
one station with gas for $1.35, I did see some for $1.49. When
I got to Mabel’s house she told me she filled her car two
weeks ago on the Navy Base for $1.26, I just can’t win.
Had a nice visit and dinner with my cousin-in-law Mabel and saw
her uninvited guest, A small gray fox that is living in her attic
with a liter of cubs. She said, not only are there foxes in the
neighborhood, there are raccoon’s, possums and skunks. The
fox somehow gets up on the garage roof then onto the roof over
the patio and pulled a board loose to get into the attic. After
the cubs are big enough to leave, Mabel will have to have one
of her sons come and nail the board back in place. I headed north
the next morning.
My next visit was with my nephew Kelly & Annett Harton out
by Miramar, since my last visit they have bought a house and are
expecting a baby next month. Planed to spend the night but there
was no place to park the motorhome so after lunch they filled
a bag with oranges (they also have a banana tree but it was out
of season) and I headed north with Gertrude as my navigator. We
were headed north on I-5 going with the flow and I noticed my
air compressor turning on and off. I thought my luck had run
out but I was able to exit the freeway onto an access road. I
was looking for a place to park and found a vacant lot, pulled
onto it and started to investigate. A fellow about my age with
a scowl on his face, who must have lived across from the vacant
lot, came over to inform me that I was on private property and
if I parked here the owner would have it towed. I had found that
my left air bag was leaking air, I told him that I had no intention
of parking here and I would be leaving as soon as I fixed a problem.
I showed him what the problem was and he changed his attitude
and was smiling when he left. I soon had the air bag replaced
with a wooden block that I carried for the very problem I now
had. I soon realized what a wonderful job those air bags do. For
a while I thought that I would have to limit my speed to 35 MPH
to be able to stay in the seat and keep from shaking the coach
to pieces. The road improved a little and I was able to run 45
MPH but there was a whole lot of shakin going on and I was glad
that I didn’t have a great distance to travel to get to my
rock to lean on. This time it would be my cousin Elton Kinkaid
the retired aerospace engineer, he is the aerospace engineer that
designed the toilet on the space shuttle. He is in the last phase
of doing some home re-modeling and wanted to put me to work painting.
I told him I would be glad to help him but I had my own problem.
I suppose he realized that if he didn’t help me solve my
problem I might have to lean on him for an extended time. I called
my GMC friend Bob Lamey who has a shop and works on GMCs, he informed
me he had a new airbag and was only an hour away. Elton was glad
to take time out from painting to haul me over to get the airbag
so I could get the old GMC back on the road and get me out of
his hair if I wasn’t going to help paint.
2/21/2000 As I am writing this, I am watching the local news and
it is not good. It has been raining all night, there is flooding,
hail, mud slides, avalanches in the mountains and a short time
ago there was an earthquake not too far east of us and there was
a tornado in Anaheim, about 15 miles from here. I hope they don’t
blame me for it all. They might run me out of town before I get
the new airbag installed.
2/22/00 Today turned out to be a nice day, got the airbag installed
and the wooden block put away, I hope I never need it again. Called
my nephew, the lawyer in Long Beach, last night and he informed
me that Thursday would be a good time to show up there so it looks
like I might have to do some painting here after all, just to
kill time.
2/24/00 Bid Elton, Ginny & Allen good by and headed to Long
Beach, first stop was at my niece Michelle’s place. There
is room to park the motorhome at her place and she took me to
the lawyers place (her brother). Had a nice visit and too much
good chow. Bob (the lawyer) and his wife Terry (also a Lawyer)
have an 18 month old daughter Kathryn, and another one on the
way, I can’t figure out when he has time to study law?.
Headed north the next day to my cousin Bessie’s place in
West Covina. She had some honey-do items for me to do for the
good food, oranges, kumquats and again she took me to see a good
movie. If I stay here very long I’ll gain weight so after
a couple days I headed to Riverside to check in with my nephew
Doug his wife Dianne and son Steve. Dianne’s parents got
there before I did in a fifth wheel trailer so their driveway
looked like an RV park. Had a nice visit, some more good chow
and was given some lessons on how to toss washers, shoot pool
and play cards. Also got to help Dianne figure out how to make
button holes and sew buttons on a shirt she was making for Doug
with a new sewing machine she got from Santa last Christmas.
3/1/00 Headed to Las Vegas to check into the Silverton RV park
to get on the computer and figure my income tax, unlike you all,
this is something I enjoy doing. Back in the 50s when I was an
enlisted man in the Navy with a wife and 4 children I heard someone
complain about having to pay $1,000 income tax. I said that I
would sure be glad to have to pay $1,000 income tax. I now wish
that I had to pay $20,000 income tax, it sure beats not having
to pay income tax. Some times I don’t like the way it is
spent but I can not think of any other place I would like to live
other than the good old US of A. Besides doing my income tax,
I’ll finish this letter and wait for my daughter-in-law and
my son Jeff to show up for her family’s reunion on 3/11/00
then I’ll head south and east to Rayne, LA for the International
GMC Motorhome rally on 3/19/00.
After listening to the news for the past few years and now listening
to the politicians and observing the people in the casinos. I
have to say that who ever called the humans “intelligent”
and all the other animals “dumb” has it all wrong. From
my observations I would say that all those “Dumb” animals
are a lot smarter than we are.
Went shopping today and the best gas price I could find was $1.64.
If it keeps going up l will be forced to park more and drive less.
This I don’t like.
Till next time, Dallas or Dad if it fits.
Me & My Shadow, with Gertrude, Gus & Keith on the road.